Civil War quilt , Belfast, 1864

Description

The 1864 Belfast Civil War quilt was sewn by twenty three members of the Ladies' Aid Society of the First Church. It was designed as an over-sized and inspirational quilt, rather than as a standard Sanitary Commission cot-sized quilt.

Sewing began on June 17, 1864 and by mid-July it was ready to be sent to the Armory Square Hospital in Washington, D.C.

It was returned to Belfast in March 2011, after being stored in Montana with two families for more than 140 years. This photograph shows the quilt as it looked after conservation.